


butterfly cage.

by dark_winged_angel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, F/M, Forgive me for all the bad puns I'll probably make, Friends to Lovers, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, adrienette - Freeform, indentity reveal, ladrien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-12 01:03:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7914340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_winged_angel/pseuds/dark_winged_angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something seemes to be wrong with Tikki.<br/>After being forced to flee in the middle of an unexpected battle, Marinette begins an investigation, determined to find out why she cannot transform the way she used to. Adrien - with his mask on or not - is there every step of the way. And while the path may be scattered with roses, so narrow that they must walk hand in hand, at the end of it darkness awaits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	butterfly cage.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! First of all, I just want to say that I have no idea what I'm doing. This is the first thing I've ever written for this fandom and I want to cry, because it took me so long. I feel like my head is about to explode. I've been sitting here and reading it over and over again, trying to make some changes, edit it, and now the entire chapter looks like a tragedy to me. Not the good kind.  
> I wouldn't be surprised if Shakespeare rose from the dead only to take this off the internet.  
> Aaaaanywho, since I put so much work into it ( you could say I'm a bit of a perfectionist, yes ) I'm posting it anyway. YOLO, and all that stuff.  
> This is an AU, of course, therefore I made a few small changes in the way things work. Also, I have no idea if I'm going to continue. I think this prologue turned out to be just a tiiiiny bit more angsty than I had originally planned.  
> Hmmm...  
> Oh, well! I hope you'll enjoy this mess, at least a little.

Butterflies.

They gathered at her feet like a shadow, dark and strange. The heat of rushing blood inside her froze abruptly; soft flesh became rigid, her hands balled into fists at her sides. She was not expecting to be followed, not into this empty alley, where even sunlight could not reach.

Her heart slowed. The force of each beat pulsed through her throat heavily, in perfect sync with the confusion that flooded her mind. Wave by wave the dizzying sea poisoned her, leaving behind shells and weeds in the once untouched grounds of her self-control. The first spoke of sudden emptiness that appeared when turmoil striked; the second spoke of the fear that accompanied it, a thing that wrapped itself around its prey's ankle like silk, pulling them deep down into the icy depths of water. They did not always appear together, and when they did, trouble followed.

Hawkmoth was certainly a master of chaos; his akumas had been flying around Paris for the last twenty minutes, looking for souls to sink into. The fact that they came after her was not worrying. She was merely another victim to these small creatures, something to be trapped and possessed.

What was worrying, though, was that she ended up here in the first place. Instead of helping Chat Noir, she was running.

How? Why? The questions swirled through her mind like autumn leaves, each a different color, dusted with a different emotion. Not even ten minutes into the fight she could already feel that something was wrong. With her, or Tikki, back then she wasn't sure. She barely made it in time to hide herself in that alley before her Kwami left her bare and exposed - no mask, no weapons, nothing. Without the passion as red and fierce as roses and the force black as feathers of the mysterious crow, she was just Marinette. A face in the crowd.

It didn't make any sense at all, because she hasn't used her Lucky Charm. Alone in a dead end in between a store she didn't quite recognize and some old restaurant, she collapsed against a brick wall, staring at the Kwami laying still in her hands. For the first time since she came into Marinette's life, Tikki looked ill.

A single word echoed throughout the streets. Her name. She could hear Chat calling her, loud and clear, even from the place she chose to hide at. She tried to transform back, once, twice, three times, but her efforts were met with the stone fist of failure. Tikki could hardly move.

Still, a part of Marinette wanted to stay and be useful, help Chat, though she didn't really know how she could do that. She had to get home as soon as possible, try to figure out what happened... And before she had the chance to decide, or even make a move, the butterflies emerged from shadows, brushing her skin with their delicate wings, rising around her.

She ended up stuck in between a wall and the mist of fluttering darkness. At the corner of the alley stood an empty dustbin, but she could not reach it. Creativity in problem solving was a fickle companion, and bad luck a clingy one.

With Tikki tucked away in the safety of her handbag, she looked around hastily. If she could slide past the akumas somehow-

'' We meet again, fair lady. ''

The male voice cut through the daze with its sudden appearance, crumbled all the plans she began forming in her head with its familiarity. She turned around, blue eyes widening.

Her nose almost bumped into Chat's. Green eyes gazed at her from behind a black mask, upside down.

'' Wanna _hang_? ''

There was no time to react. He jumped down - and he did it with grace, his feet kissed the ground rather than sliding on it - still holding on to the thin rope he was hanging from with one hand. His free arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her close to his body. Before she knew it, she was being pulled upwards.

The moment her feet were lifted off the cracked pavement and the reality of the situation hit her, she began holding on to _him_ as tightly as she could. One of her arms slid around his waist in return, while the other held her handbag, pressing it into her chest, like she needed to remind herself that it was still there. Air whipped past her face, lovely and cool. Among the smell of early fall lingered the scent of his cologne. It reminded her of midnight.

The journey didn't last long. He let go of her after a moment, setting her lightly on top of the restaurant.

How did he find her? How did he get to her in time? Did he follow the akumas?

As though hearing her thoughts, Chat brushed dust off his leather suit, poorly concealing the complacency that lit up his face.

'' Sometimes I have to impurrvise. ''

When she didn't respond, he paused and looked up at her. His smile faded.

'' Are you okay? ''

Marinette nodded. Despite the fact that she had something solid underneath her feet again, and the akumas were nowhere to be seen, she was clutching her handbag, holding it close to her heart.

Chat hesitated for a second or two, before turning to make his way towards the stairs set at the corner of the rooftop.

She had expected him to leave and finish the fight, yet he was walking her to the door instead.

Of course.

It was chivalry at its finest, in one of the most unappropriate moments. Though she still didn't comment, couldn't find it in herself to push any remarks through her dry throat.

She followed him, stopping by the stairs as he did. He was looking at her again, his head cocked to the side. Concern shadowed his face, burned out all the light from before. She supposed she had greeted him with unusual silence. Was she pale? Did she look shaken?

She wanted to say something, thank him, but he was the one to break the silence after all.

'' I... I don't suppose you've seen Ladybug around, huh? ''

Marinette shook her head, trying to relax, lose some of the tension weighing her shoulders down.

'' No, but... I'm sure she's around here. Somewhere. ''

Scratching the nape of his neck, Chat let out a small laugh. '' I hope you're right. Though I'm pretty sure I can handle this on my own. ''

He winked at her, and for once it wasn't really flirtatious. It was friendly instead, almost _shy_ , a gesture intended to lift her spirits.

She managed a smile in return, lifting the corners of her mouth, pushing through the sadness. It seemed to satifsy him, at least a little, because he smiled back.

'' Be safe, Mari. ''

Easier said than done.

She stood there, watching as he made his way back, hands wrapping around the thin, dark rope. He threw himself into the city, as if it could catch him with its arms wide opened.

As soon as he was gone, with an anxious peek at her handbag, she hurried down the stairs.

Just before she reached the door, a realization dawned on her, making her fingers tighten around the handle. The butterflies haven't followed.

* * *

 

Two hours.

With her head in her hands, Marinette tried to breathe some peace into her system. The window in her bedroom was opened, and she was sitting right by it. She could faintly feel the last, sleepy touches of sunlight, as well as the pleasant breeze that danced upon the curtains, moving them ever so slightly in the process. Fresh air, despite being considered good for the body and soul, didn't do much for her.

Two hours passed and she still had nothing figured out. Tikki didn't know what was happening to her or what had caused it; the only thing she was aware of was the tiredness dragging itself through her. Speaking alone seemed to take a lot of effort. Marinette let her get some rest, forcing herself to stop the endless stream of worries inside her head from spilling out.

This had to be temporary; perhaps it was possible for Kwamis to get sick. It wouldn't be that odd, even though were practically immortal. Not a single living thing existed without some kind of weaknesses lurking around the corner. Perhaps what Tikki needed was some time off, more sleep, a lot of food. Food usually solved a lot of problems.

Taking a deep breath, filling her lungs, Marinette sat up straight and reached for her phone. Chat sent her a text message about fifteen minutes ago and she still hasn't replied. She wasn't sure how to.

A wave of guilt flooded her, but she forced that down too, because nobody had time for other lovers when responsibility called. There was at least one thing she could do while Tikki took her time to recover - remain professional. She opened the message up and read it again, biting down on her lip.

_Is everything okay, my lady? I took care of the akumas. It's almost like they fled. Perhaps they too got tired of my puns. See you on patrol tonight?_

Carefully choosing her words, she began typing a reply.

_I'm really sorry for leaving, kitty. There was an emergency._

What else was there to say? Because while she was almost sure that Tikki would soon recover, she didn't want to take any chances. On the other hand, though, she didn't want to worry and distract her partner from his responsibilities either.

Sticking with that thought, she finished the message simply.

_I'm afraid I won't be able to patrol tonight. Thank you for having my back._

She didn't even have time to put the phone down before he replied, and that probably wasn't a good thing. Her stomach lurched.

While she couldn't blame him for wanting an explanation, questions were unwelcome, because she didn't know the answers herself. She didn't think she had the energy to go through all of this tonight. She felt drained, and it was the kind of exhaustion that even coffee could not fix.

She clicked on the message reluctantly; it unfolded before her eyes like a flower.

_Always, my lady. Let me know if there is anything you need._

Relief washed over her warmly. Perhaps curiosity did not kill the cat - he was one of the very few solid things in her life.

At least that didn't change.

She leaned back in her chair with a resigned, quiet sigh. Sooner or later she was going to have to talk to him; about the attack, if not about Tikki. It was odd. Hawkmoth usually let his akumas go one at a time and he did not back down. Not until he achieved his goal. Today, it was almost like they were freed merely for the purpose of causing havoc. Chat was forced to chase them around Paris for over two hours on his own. And then they fled?

She glanced at her desk, where Tikki was sleeping, hidden from the prying eyes of world.

Outside, the sun was going down.


End file.
